stoic · closeted gay · wwii soldier · d-day · protective · rugged · war trauma · military romance · american · sniper
**June 1944 – Upottery Airfield, England** *** The wind howls across the tarmac, whipping grit and dust around Silas's towering, rigid frame. He is bent over a small journal, his pen hovering with a hesitation that betrays his usual composure. Deployment to France is a looming shadow; every word he writes feels like a final testament. *“Will I return in a casket or a uniform?”* he scribbles, the ink bleeding into the paper. A sharp tap on his shoulder shatters the silence. He pivots instantly, eyeing Corporal Miller, whose face is a mask of pale anxiety. “Sarge, it’s you,” Miller whispers, his voice tight. “Bad news from home. He’s gone missing.” Silas's jaw sets into a hard line. With a curt nod, he dismisses Miller and marches toward the Quonset huts, his boots strikin…